Hey Girl, Nice Shot

Planning for 2010

I'm sitting on the floor supervising my 3 year old's bath while she is home sick from daycare.  Probably a more common scene for Mom's who also run their own small businesses.  Multi-tasking is a fact of life when you have kids, a home, a husband, pets, and a business.  Unfortunately it is all too easy to have the "I want it all" approach and end up overwhelmed, overscheduled, and unhappy overall.

In 2009 I wanted it all.  I wanted to have a nice and organized house, spend fun quality time with my kids, grow my business, and maybe even sneak in a date night or two with my husband.  And you know what, I ended the year unhappy.  My husband, who is much more willing to ask the tough questions, made me face the reality that I just can't have it all...not right now at least. 

So for 2010 I'm going to make some hard decisions about how I spend my time.  And I expect, being able to really commit to a few things is going to make me much happier overall.  It'll make me a better wife, a better mom, and a better business owner. 

My number one priority for 2010 is to get healthy.  I've completely slacked in the last year on this.  After getting in great shape and loosing weight in 2008 when I was only working part time, I slipped into very bad habits last year because I didn't plan how I was going to exercise and eat healthy meals.  Instead I stopped exercising all together and pretty much ate some form of delivery or carry out for the majority of my meals.  NOT GOOD!  So the very first thing on my list for next year is myself.  Exercising and planning for health meals will be an essential part of my year.  I know I'll have more energy and feel better, and it is an investment in myself that will last much longer than almost anything else I do.

Also for next year my husband and I are embarking on a major software project together.  It will be a tool set for photographers.  Some of you may know that my husband is a very gifted software developer...the majority of the projects he consults on are multi-million dollar projects.  So while the stuff we've outlined is complicated...I'm very confident that we'll be able to take a completely different approach than anyone else!  So that will be taking up the majority of my time over the next year.  More about that soon.

Photography will still play a role in my life - and an important one.  It'll just be a smaller slice of the pie.  I'll be more selective about the clients I take on to make sure we are a good match.  And I know that will make me much happier about the sessions I have.

So as part of this planning processes I made a chart of my days of the week and my projected time for each task.  It was really eye opening.  The first time I did it I couldn't get the # hours to be under 24!  And realistically I need it to be more around 20 or so hours to give me some wiggle room for things that just come up (like kids sick at home!).

 

While I could adjust week to week, this would be a plan for getting though my week.  Have you tried this yourself?  I just made a google spreadsheet with the days of the week and the task areas....then put the hours per day for each task.  Then I created a chart from that because I like to see things visually.

Try this for yourself.  Ask yourself some hard questions about your year - and what is realistic.  You'll be happier if you do!

Reflections

Have you been feeling the squeeze of the holiday rush too?  I hope so!  Today I had my last scheduled session for 2009.  What a great feeling to have made it through another hectic season.  And with some editing left before me, it is getting closer to that time where I can catch my breath and reflect on the last year, and consider changes for the new one. 

 
Every year I consider my work/life balance.  Some years I work more, some I focus more on my home.  2009 was definitely a year of work!  I'm glad my children still remember me when I wake them up, and that I'm able to steal the occasional dinner out with my husband.  And right now I'm working out how I can swing the focus back a little towards my family and my home and find happiness.  What great timing for the new PPA magazine that showed up at my home this weekend.  In it is a feature piece talking about just this....having balance between work and home.  And Melanie Mauer - one of my fellow speakers at the Workshop on the Waterfront - is featured in the article.  I can't wait to meet her in person and hear what she has to say!  And I swear that PPA must have a bug planted in my house...their articles always seems to be speaking directly to me!

In the meantime, I'd love to have readers share what they are reflecting on, or maybe some words of wisdom for the rest of us?  What do you say?

Party Hosting

 

I love my loft space and while I don't do many shoots there (light is not great) it is a great meeting place for clients and the neighborhood is perfect for that urban portrait look!  However, it is a big space and I hope to really use it more for events in the upcoming year.

The first such event was a book release party for the newly published Kirtsy Takes a Bow.  Kirtsy is a site similar to Digg but from a women's perspective, and for women. You can go there to find the most interesting topics online for women...everything from news to fashion to blog posts.  It is a great way to let someone else tell you where to surf online when you have some down time! 

To celebrate the success, they compiled some of the most popular items and put them together into a beautiful book!  The contributors are a who's who of the online world and when they asked if they could have their Houston release party at the loft I didn't even hesitate: YES!

To prepare my new office buddy, the editor of the book, and myself spend the better part of Sunday clearing away the urban jungle that had taken over the patio space in front of my building.  We also all but emptied the loft space to make room for the unknown number of guests that would be attending the party.

 

We couldn't have been luckier with the weather.  A cool front had come through so we could easily leave doors open and guests could come and go.  We had a fire pit outside, and wine inside.  A perfect combination!

I already knew a number of the guests from previous Houston events but the one contributor I was most interested in meeting was Karen Walrond (aka Chookooloonks), a photographer and author. It was love at first sight.  She has such a positive energy around her and was so fun to talk to!  I can't wait to see her again at another event.  Definitely check out her blog, and gain inspiration from one of her projects: Shutter Sisters.

 

So why host the party?  Mainly because I really feel important about community involvement and while my children and job keep me from doing more, I felt like this was a great way to support some pretty impressive women in the Houston area (and beyond).  Also, I think it is rare to get such an interesting and diverse group of people together in one spot which made for some great conversations.  I really enjoyed talking to the guests both about my photography, being in that neighborhood, other artists, and the book!  I encourage to you to get involved and see if there is something you can do to help further others in your community.  Plus, it never hurts to earn a few Karma points.

Shooting for YOU!

It is the holiday busy season so most of us are probably just trying to keep our heads above water.  Great! But what about those times of year when you are not as busy?  Have you considered shooting just for you?

What I mean is not going out and taking pictures of your own kids.  We know that comes with a different set of problems and you probably have taken their pictures a bunch of times.

What I really mean is think about something you'd like to try out - and go do it!

I'll give you one of my recent examples.

 

I was shopping in Target with my daughter and saw an incredibly cute little girl with her mom and I thought "I would love to photograph her!"  Well, it doesn't hurt to ask.  So I went right up to the mom, introduced myself, and told her I would LOVE to photograph her daughter for my portfolio.  Here's the thing, portfolio building doesn't have to end just because you have been in business for a while.  Sometimes it is great to get a model and shoot the way YOU want to shoot.  Or try out a new technique, or location!

So the mom said yes and as it turns out dad was a child model in his youth so it was no shock to them!  I was able to tell them where I wanted to shoot, when, how I wanted her to wear her hair, made clothing recommendations and brought some of my own.  It was great.  I got to completely control the session.  I got to take the photos I wanted to take, and in return I gave them the high res files as payment.  There was a new location I had recently gotten permission to shoot at so I was glad to have this session as my first go there to test the waters. 

I had a great time during this session and there were no expectations or requests for specific poses which gave me complete freedom.  In addition, I only edited a few of my favorites from the session instead of the standard 25-30 that I would from a paying session.  I'm thrilled to have the images for my portfolio.

Such a Joi from Jessica Grieves on Vimeo.

One word of caution...I do get asked all the time to shoot for free because someone thinks it would be good for me to build up my portfolio or get access to new clients. I consider these VERY different kinds of requests which are driven usually by someone wanting free pictures or not understanding my target market.  Unless for a very good cause I will usually say no to those kinds of requests because they are typically not the kind of photos I want to be taking.  What I'm really talking about is you creating a totally controlled session of you own imagining.

Have fun with it!  What are your thoughts on portfolio building after you have been in business a while?  Do you still occasionally do free shoots just because you want to?

Hanging with Hey Girl

Since I started this blog I have met so many wonderful people, both online, and in person.  I'm thrilled that I have so many fans and that I can share the things I have learned with so many other people.

Recently I have had more and more requests for one-on-one mentoring.  There are lots of fantastic workshops out there for anyone looking for a structured learning experience.  However, I have created the super flexible one day mentoring session called "Hanging with Hey Girl" to provide the opportunity for aspiring photographers to come to my loft for a day to completely pick my brain about what YOU want to learn.  So here are the details...

Hanging with Hey Girl

9 spots available in August
Houston, TX
One day - 9am-5pm

Lunch & Beverages included
$695/day

One on One Mentoring covering the topics you want to cover including:

• Projection Sales
• Package Creation
• Pricing
• Workflow
• Accounting
• Shooting/Post Processing
• Using Social Media
• Online Advertising
• Preferred Vendors

This mentoring is ideal for the aspiring pro that is just not sure how to move forward, or for the beginning professional that needs a little extra information to take their business up a notch.

The following dates are available for mentoring in August.  This is a great time to learn and develop your business before the holiday rush.  I don't plan on having any availability during the rest of the Fall when I'll be focusing on holiday portrait sessions. 

Book your date by July 21st at Noon Central Time and save $200 off the retail price.

If you are interested in coming with a friend the second person is half price - just let me know in the special instructions field when you pay for your day and I will contact you to complete the payment for the second person.
Monday, August 3

Thursday, August 6

Tuesday, August 11

Friday, August 14

Monday, August 17

Thursday, August 20

Tuesday, August 25

Friday, August 28

Monday, August 31

Questions? Contact me: jessica [at] bubblegumtree.com Please note that the mentoring fee is non-refundable but may be applied to a future mentoring session should an emergency arise and you are not able to make your selected date.

The Numbers are IN!

WOW!!!! I am beyond excited by the number of readers that took our online survey.  You far exceeded our expectations.  We thought if about 100 of you took it we'd be happy because we know how busy everyone is but when we hit 300 we were jumping for joy.  That means 1 out of 5 subscribers took the survey which should give us a great cross section of readers.

We have decided to close the survey as we feel like that is a great response rate.  We set aside some time this weekend to analyze the results and we'll be posting some summary information here on the site.  If you put in your email address to get results emailed to you, you should see that this weekend too!

I took a peek at the final thoughts which were so interesting but this one caught my eye:

"Once I went into actual real professional business, I was shocked at how much work it is."

I think so many of us feel that way and it is something the customer can be a little clueless about.  Today I'm home working on my business plan for expansion, accounting, and updating my website and I know I won't be touching my camera or opening up photoshop today.  But that is the business side which for me is fun too - just different.

Renovation Projects

I got the idea in my head that I wanted to paint this one wall in my loft pink.
...Which lead to me ripping out the little useless shelves that were on that wall. 

...And taking out the bigger built in shelves to paint them white. 

...And painting the ceiling white (which was some kind of dark blue and wood combination).

So today we got to work.  My studio manager and I spend a good part of the day taping, priming, and painting.  We primed the wood and the shelves, and we actually got all the walls in that hallway painted pink.  Now tomorrow I'm hoping to finish painting the ceiling and shelves so I can put it all back together.

We also painted the wall at our entrance blue.  I was inspired  by the tutu that I have which was hanging on the post to the left in the picture.  Between the two of us we got two coats up on the wall. 

It is exciting to add some color to the space! 

Lots of other exciting news on the horizon!

Sold out

Just a quick note that Learnfest sold out in 4 hours so I hope you got in today if you wanted to go. If you did you'll have a great time.

(posted from my iPhone)

Are You Ready for Learnfest 2009?

Yeah, so remember how I went to Learnfest in September and then dropped off the face of the earth?  That's because I'm freaking out because I'm busy between the holiday rush, moving, and implementing changes in my business.  Oh, you'll hear about those when I have 5 minutes to breath (oh, and did I mention the stomach bug making the rounds through my house?).

Anyway, because it CANNOT wait I definitely wanted to post about Learnfest 2009.  Yep, another Learnfest with the same awesome instructors:

• Audrey Woulard
• Laura Novak
• Lena Hyde
• Tamara Lackey

Here's what I wrote for my testimonial that is also on The Learnfest website:

Inspired.  Invigorated.  Connected.  These are just some of the words that describe how I felt after my experience at Learnfest.  I’ve been to several other workshops and conferences but none compared to the overall knowledge gained by the instructors at Learnfest.   I’ve incorporated some of Tamara’s techniques into my sessions and the results have been more fun for everyone AND produced better images.  I’ve tried to find a simpler path thanks to Audrey’s streamlined system and schedule.  I’ve started to assess my pricing and sales process as a result of Laura’s advice.  And am revising my branding and marketing message to grow in the direction I want to go in after internalizing some of Lena’s recommendations.  And one of the unexpected results of Learnfest – developing positive new friendships with peers.  Friendships that feel like they always should have been there and now are a big part of my life.

And what I didn't write: There are some things that came out of The Learnfest that are hard to quantify.  I feel like my sessions have been stronger and more fun.  I've been more confident to break out of the safe photos and take more of the fun ones.  I believe in the value of what I offer more than ever which makes it so much easier to run a photography business instead of a photography hobby.  I hired a part time studio manager to help with some of the tasks I don't want to do so I can take on more sessions.  And I have been loving keeping up with my new photographer friends on Facebook and Twitter.

I've had a few people ask me if I felt like it was worth it and I have to say, every penny.  Being able to have such access to some of the most exclusive portrait photographers in the industry is a rarity and they are not teaching other workshops next year so this will be your opportunity to absorb their knowledge and charm.  Each of them was funny, interesting, and quirky but in a way that combined to make them shine.  And you'll see that you can shine too.

Registration opens on Saturday!!! November 15th so set the reminder, get out the credit card, and crack open your piggy bank.  Make an investment in yourself.

What am I up to?

So it has been a crazy few weeks in my life so I thought I would do a super quick post to update you all.

Hurricane Ike
Two and a half weeks ago Hurricane Ike rolled over Houston.  I still have friends without power.  Life is certainly not back to normal yet.  I'm in the process of trying to reschedule a class and 5 sessions that I had to cancel because of the hurricane and aftermath.  I'm also on hold to find out if I will need to reschedule my beach portrait sessions scheduled to take place on Galveston Island in just a couple of weeks.

Learnfest
Last week I attended the inspiring Learnfest on Bald Head Island in North Carolina.  I have SOOOO much to write about it will certainly be a few posts.  I'm still trying to digest all that I learned.  I can say that Lena, Audrey, Tamara, and Laura went beyond my expectations with their open hearts and warm personalities.  And I feel like I have so many new friends made with the 60 attendees from the US and Canada.  My face hurt at the end of each day from all the smiling and laughing, and I loved getting to talk to so many fans to this blog too!!!

New Office
And now that I'm home I'm trying to get my new office and gallery space finished up.  I can't even begin to describe how excited I am about this new space. There seems to be a never ending list of things that need to be purchased.  Paint.  Lights.  Special casters that don't damage hard wood floors.  But I know when the space is finished it is going to be great!  More later this week as I try to move in!!!

So, that's what I'm up to.  Oh, and yeah, lots of sessions this week and for every week between now and mid-November.  I have the beginning of a post about Learnfest and some others in mind so I'll try to find some time to get to those too!!!